Leader - Stradivarius?

The most famous violins are not only the most expensive or the most sounding. The rating of instruments also includes violins, which have gained fame due to their unique design.

Is it worth asking the question, what are the most famous violins that sing in the hands of modern performers? Surely there will be only one answer - Stradivarius violins. As a last resort, they will be able to remember the Amati tools. Is it really?

Top 5 since the end

If we make the top violins, then the 5th-6th place is occupied not by the works of ancient masters, but by modern instruments - electric violins made for the talented musician Stopprd Linzi, who ordered them. The violins have a special sound, and ... a unique design, which explains the price - $ 2.2 million. Each tool has 50,000 Swarovski crystals!

The next place in the ranking is occupied by the violin, which was played by Niccolo Paganini himself. She came out from under the hands of Guarneri del Gesu, an Italian master, in 1742. It was on this violin that Paganini performed his legendary concert, during which all his strings burst. For a long time they thought that this was just a beautiful legend. But it turned out - the violin exists! And a private buyer, who does not want publicity, bought it for his collection for $ 5 million.

The honorable third place is occupied by the Guarneri violin, created in 1741. Experts currently value this unique instrument at $7 million. But its owner, a Russian businessman, once bought it for half the price.

Second place went to Stradivarius violins, one of which was sold for $9.8 million. The great master gave a name to all his brainchildren - that's how he called the instruments - and the most expensive daughter is called Lady Blunt. This instrument was made, one might even say - executed, in 1721.

And in the first place in the ranking is again the violin of Guarneri - Viettan. It was brought to light by a brilliant violinist, Niccolò Paganini. It is considered the most valuable not only in terms of money, but also in terms of sound. The price of the instrument is 18 million dollars. It is in the possession of the Belgian Eugene Ysaye.

Although the Stradivari violin is ranked second in the rankings, most modern performers prefer it. The instruments have a completely unique sound, and every Stradivarius violin can be recognized by its voice. In total, the master made more than 1100 instruments. Less than half have survived to this day.

Remembering the most famous violin makers and the most famous violins, one cannot but recall the instruments that were made by the Russian serf master Batov Ivan Andreevich. Once upon a time, Batov's instrument was played by Nicollo Paganini's rival, Karel Lipinski.

Batov restored many of the Stradivarius violins that are now played in the hands of Russian performers. Rumor has it that one of these instruments is ranked ninth in the world violin ranking. Its cost is 1.2 million dollars.

But still, one can see that the majority of famous violins are the violins of Italian masters. And it is very pleasant that among the wonderful instruments there are those that have passed through the hands of a Russian restorer.

From the compiler

Any anthology, poetry or prose, any collection of essays about great musicians, composers or actors, always bears the stamp of the taste of the author or compiler of this anthology. During the Soviet era, some literary anthologies (like their authors and compilers) underwent enormous and sometimes dangerous difficulties. Suffice it to recall the history of only two literary collections: "Literary Moscow", was published only twice and was subjected to devastating criticism along with the authors published there, and another literary collection - "Tarus Pages", if I remember correctly, was released only once!

Books dedicated to music and musicians also bore the stamp of strict censorship and indispensable "political correctness" of those years. Often, authors who had already prepared their books for publication could not publish their works, since the people about whom these works were written had no “value” in the eyes of the authorities and were, as they put it then, “inappropriate” for publication in wide circulation. . All this is now well known.

It is less known that foreign compilers of anthologies very often also followed the “logic of state expediency”. Even violin art was also strictly censored. I remember a book published in Germany in 1943 on the history of violin performance, where such historical figures as Josef Joachim, Ferdinand Laub, Fritz Kreisler were not mentioned in a word. From the "non-Aryans" the Frenchman Jacques Thibaud, as it were, "slipped" with difficulty! The most important luminary of all times and peoples was the German violinist Willy Burmeister in that book! Who today knows and remembers this name, except for teachers of children's music schools, where children play some arrangements of ancient composers of this violinist forgotten today?

I recently received a book by the famous Austrian musicologist Kurt Blaukopf, The Great Virtuosi, published in German in the mid-1950s. Even he, living in a country of relative freedom of speech, could not resist the temptation of the impact of the “political correctness of those years” in his selection of “great virtuosos”, devoting quite a lot of space to the then popular Soviet violinist Igor Bezrodny, completely bypassing the names of such young virtuosos as Yulian Sitkovetsky , Igor Oistrakh, Eduard Grach, Rafail Sobolevsky, Nelli Shkolnikova and even Leonid Kogan! and some others. Perhaps the point was that until the summer of 1955, Austria was still under the occupation of three allied countries in the coalition in the 2nd World War. But this is only an assumption. Naturally, any author-compiler is guided by his own taste and predilections, and also partly by the fashion of the time. Thus, Kurt Blaukopf dedicated a lot of space to the well-known Soviet violinist Igor Bezrodny since the late 1940s. Yampolsky.

In 1951, a 3rd year student at the Moscow Conservatory, Bezrodny, received the Stalin Prize for "outstanding success in concert and performance activities", which caused great bewilderment among the oldest professors of the Conservatory. The choice of an Austrian musicologist seems all the more strange today. Bezrodny was a brilliant artist, a very talented musician, but he was never a "great virtuoso" - he never publicly performed the works of Henri Vietana, Niccolò Paganini, Pablo de Sarasate. Only once did he make a recording on the Moscow radio of Variations on the theme of Rossini's opera "Otello" by G. Ernst. The author did not include in his collection such a world-famous virtuoso as Leonid Kogan! Igor Bezrodny performed excellently in his best years the Concertos of Brahms, Saint-Saens, Taneyev's Suite, Chausson's "Poem", Ravel's "Gypsy". Then the musical authorities wanted to see him as a replacement for David Oistrakh. Of course, he did not and could not become a “replacement”.

So let's take it for granted that all anthologies are compiled in accordance with the spirit of the time and the taste of the author, which, of course, makes the selection biased and sometimes biased. It should be noted in advance that the author was guided by the principle of publishing materials about the famous violinists of the last 20th century - long gone not only from the stage, but also from life. The history of young virtuosos of the XXI century (for example, Russian: Sergei Stadler, Vadim Repin, Alena Baeva, Nikita Borisoglebsky, Maxim Vengerov and Er.), presumably, will be written by researchers of a new generation.

1. Fritz Kreisler - the greatest violinist of the 20th century ("Virtual Concerto")

Several years ago, a friend of mine sent me a short story by Hermann Hesse, "A Virtuoso Concerto". If you do not know anything about Herman Hesse, then it may seem to the reader that this short story was written by an immigrant from the “first Russian post-revolutionary wave” - the author felt so unhappy, somehow restless and, of course, constrained in means (to be maybe after admitting that he was given a ticket to the concert?). This feeling was strengthened by the fact that the author had a clear dislike for wealth in general and for the wealthy public that gathered for the concert of the famous virtuoso, in particular.

A friend of mine sent me a story so that I could answer the question - who is this famous virtuoso, whose concert is dedicated to Hesse's story. It was not difficult for me to immediately determine the name of this artist, who influenced all the violinists of the world without exception - the most famous and unknown - all violinists of the 20th century. But not only violinists, but even such a great artist as the composer-pianist S. V. Rachmaninov. I told all this to my friend who sent me this text. Later there was a temptation to give this story to my friends and acquaintances - musicians and non-musicians - for the same purpose for which the story was sent to me. To some extent, the answer to this question was an indicator of knowledge about the performing arts and its peaks in the past century. But first, let's get a little familiar with this, not so widely known story, published in 1928. Here are the main excerpts from it.

“Last night I was at a concert that was significantly different from the concerts that I used to listen to in general. It was a concert of the world-famous secular virtuoso violinist, an enterprise, therefore, not only musical, but also sports, and above all - public ... "" The program, however, promised for the most part real music ... It contained wonderful things: the Kreutzer Sonata, Chaconne Bach, Tartini Sonata... These beautiful compositions filled two-thirds of the concert. Then, however, towards the end the program changed. There were musical plays with beautiful, promising titles, moonlit fantasies and Venetian nights by unknown authors, whose names pointed to peoples who had not yet advanced in music ... In a word, the third part of the concert strongly resembled programs hung out in the music pavilions of fashionable resorts. And the ending was made up of several pieces that the great virtuoso composed himself. With curiosity, I went to this evening. In my youth, I heard Sarasate and Joachim play the violin... and was delighted with their playing...”

“Already long before I reached the concert hall, it became clear to me by many signs that today we are talking not about what my friends and I call music, not about some quiet and fantastic phenomenon in an unreal, nameless realm, but about the real thing. The events of this evening ... powerfully set in motion motors, horses, purses, hairdressers and all the rest of reality. What happened here ... was very much like other powerful manifestations of life - the stadium, the stock exchange, festivals. “It was difficult in the streets adjacent to the concert hall to break through the streams of hurrying spectators, through the lines of cars…” pounced on me, penetrated my loneliness, and made me, who does not go anywhere and does not read newspapers, a surprised connoisseur of interesting details. “Tomorrow evening,” I heard, “he will already be playing in Hamburg.” Someone doubted: “In Hamburg? How will he get to Hamburg by tomorrow evening?” "Nonsense! He, of course, will fly in an airplane. Maybe he even has his own airplane.” “And in the wardrobe ... I learned from the lively conversations of my associates that during this evening the great musician requested and received fourteen thousand francs. Everyone called this amount with reverence. Some really believed that art was not only for the rich, but such a request was approved, and it turned out that most would be glad to get tickets at a normal price, but that all the same they were all proud of having paid so much. I failed to understand the psychology of this contradiction, because my ticket was presented to me.

“Finally, we all entered the hall ... Between the rows, in the corridors, in the next hall, on the stage, chairs were additionally placed up to the piano, there was not a single empty seat ...” “They rang, it became quiet. And suddenly a great violinist came out with a quick step, modestly followed by a young pianist-accompanist. We all immediately fell in love with him ... he was a serious, handsome, lively and yet dignified man of glorious appearance and refined manners. “We all really liked the virtuoso. And when he began to play the slow part of the Kreutzer Sonata, it immediately became clear that his worldwide fame was well-deserved. This sympathetic man knew how to handle his violin remarkably, he had the plasticity of the bow, the purity of the techniques, the strength and elasticity of the sound, a skill that one readily and joyfully submits to. He started the second part rather quickly, slightly forcing the pace, but wonderfully. The first third of the program was exhausted with the Kreutzer Sonata, during the break the man sitting in front of me was counting to his neighbor how many thousands of francs the artist had already earned in that half hour. Chaconne Bach followed, superbly, but only in the third piece, Tartin's sonata, did the violinist show himself in all his splendor. This piece, performed by him, was really a miracle - amazingly difficult, amazingly played, and, moreover, very good, solid music. If the general public listened to Beethoven and Bach, maybe only out of respect and only to please the violinist, then here it swayed and warmed up. Applause thundered, the virtuoso bowed very correctly and added a smile at the third or fourth exit.

And in the third part of the concerto, we, true music lovers and puritans of good music, were saddened, because now the general public has begun to please, and what the good musicians Beethoven and Bach did not succeed in, and the extraordinary master Tartini succeeded only half, this unknown exotic tango composer succeeded as could not be better: thousands of people were inflamed, they melted and ceased resistance, they smiled enlightenedly, shedding tears, they moaned with delight, and after each of these short entertaining plays burst into thunderous applause. “But we, a few disgruntled puritans, internally defended ourselves, we fought heroically useless battles, we laughed irritably at the nonsense that was being played here, and yet we could not help but notice the brilliance of this bow, the charm of these sounds, and not grin at some charming, albeit vulgar, but magically played passage. The great magic happened. After all, we, dissatisfied Puritans, were captured, even if for a moment by a mighty wave, we, too, even if for moments, were seized by a sweet, charming intoxication ... ”“ Thousands of people were inflamed. They couldn't let this concert end. They clapped, shouted, stamped their feet. They forced the artist to show up again and again, to play beyond the program for the second, third, fourth time. He did it gracefully and beautifully. Bowed, played an encore; the crowd listened standing, breathless, utterly enchanted. They thought, these thousands, that now they had won, they thought that they had conquered the violinist, they thought that with their delight they could make him go out and play again and again. And he, I believe, played for an encore exactly what he agreed with the pianist in advance, and, having performed the last part of his concerto, not indicated in the program, but provided for, he disappeared and never returned. Nothing helped here, it was necessary to disperse, it was necessary to wake up. During this whole evening there were two people in me ... One was an old music lover with incorruptible taste, a puritan of good music. He was not only against the application of such skill to mediocre music, not only against these languid, entertaining pieces - he was against this whole audience, against rich people who you never see at a more serious concert ...

And the other person in me was a boy, he listened to the victorious hero of the violin, merged with him, took off with him, dreamed ... And how much I had to think about the artist himself, about this correct magician! Was he at heart a musician who would be glad to play only Bach and Mozart and only after a long struggle did he learn not to impose anything on the public and give them what they themselves demand? .. Or, perhaps, for very deep reasons and on on the basis of experience lost faith in the value of real music and the possibility of understanding it in today's life, and beyond all music sought first to return people to the origins of art, to the naked sensual beauty of sounds, to the naked power of primitive feelings? Didn't solve the riddle! I'm still thinking about it."

Here is a short story by Hermann Hesse. After reading it, it will seem to many of us that the author has concentrated in one story reflections on three important things in the performing culture of the 20th century: the spiritual value of certain compositions of the present and the past, the low tastes of the average listener, who made up the mass of the public, who to some extent , perhaps the great artist indulged, and, finally, the place of money, that is, the invasion of the financial world into the holy realms of real high performing arts. Indeed, reflections on these topics never become outdated, they are just as characteristic and relevant for today as for 1928 - an era separated from us not only by almost the past century, but also divided into periods of monstrous catastrophes and relative peace in history. the existence of mankind.

Let's return to the beginning and to the main question - who is this magician of the bow, who so struck the author in his divided mind of the visitor of such an unusual concert?

For the sake of pleasure, I asked this question, as already mentioned, to my acquaintances - musicians and non-musicians. One familiar non-musician, having read, apparently erroneously, the words "secular violinist" as "Soviet violinist" said that this magician ... Gidon Kremer! When I asked why Kremer in particular, I received a remarkable answer: “So he plays the tango, and Kremer plays the Piazzolla tango!” Of course, one could ask what era this story belongs to, as you can see the “airplane” is still a new means of transportation here, and the author himself in his youth heard the play of Joachim and Sarasate, who had gone to another world at the beginning of the 20th century. Consequently, the author (or his hero) was at that time about forty years old. But none of that mattered. My interlocutor knew Piazzolla, but did not know the dates of life and work of the greatest violinists of the nineteenth century, which is quite excusable for a non-musician.

So, this short story is dedicated to the concert of Fritz Kreisler, which took place, as you might guess, somewhere in one of the cities of Romanesque Switzerland in the mid-20s of the 20th century. By this time, Kreisler's fame was truly worldwide. He was the first artist to visit Japan; before him, no major classical musician had honored the audience of the Land of the Rising Sun with tours. In 1973, I was very surprised when I saw a portrait of Kreisler in a record store in Osaka. I then asked the seller if he knew who the man in the portrait was? He, without hesitation, answered - "Kreisler". To be honest, I was amazed at such knowledge by a seemingly simple person. Kreisler is still honored in Japan today precisely because he believed in the Japanese public and its ability to understand and appreciate classical music.

He was also the first internationally renowned artist to visit China and Korea. Of course, in those years there were cities in China where a significant number of Europeans lived, and yet China, Korea and Japan were not the Mecca of classical music. But Kreisler visited all these countries. Kreisler was not only in the Middle East - in Palestine, although some of his colleagues, for example, Arthur Rubinstein, played there more than once. There were reasons for that. But more on that later.

Hesse's description of the "virtuoso concerto" is of great interest even today to professional musicians. Some of the pieces from that program have come down to us as sound recordings, such as Beethoven's Kreutzer Sonata. Hesse's remark about the slightly fast tempo of the second movement of the Sonata is absolutely correct. It was Kreisler's style - the slow movements of all Beethoven's Sonatas (for piano and violin), which Kreisler for the first time in the world He recorded everything on gramophone records. They attract us in slow parts with some indescribable “Schubertian” mood, that is, with the style of a Schubertian song rather than a philosophical reflection of a great master. Perhaps this feeling of Beethoven's lyrics came from the Viennese character of the artist himself - his charm, love of life, love for the Viennese "air", which made even Beethoven's lyrics sound new in his performance.

Bach's "Chaconne" performed by Kreisler "reached" us only in the story of Henrik Schering, one of the outstanding violinists of the 20th century, who heard Kreisler in Paris somewhere in the early 30s. The young violinist was then completely amazed by the sound of the violin - it seemed to him that in many episodes not one violinist played, but three at once! Such was his feeling from the very sound of the instrument in the hands of a great artist. Unfortunately, there is no recording of this composition, just as there is no recording of the performance of Tartini's Sonata "Devil's Trills", which Hesse told about. It should be added here that Hesse listened to this Sonata in processing Kreisler with his own cadence. That is why this composition made such an impression in his performance both on the audience and on Hesse himself.

Kreisler had an amazing trill, one of the greatest effects of violin playing. His incredibly fast, clearly articulated short trills always gave his playing a special charm. From the recordings of the Tartini Sonata left to us from the 20th century by other outstanding violinists, one can get a glimpse of Kreisler's performance of this work. One of the best recordings in the world was made by David Oistrakh shortly after the war. It is, along with the recording of the Sonata by Ida Handel, the pinnacle of the performing arts shown in this work.

The main secret of the success of this piece with the public and Hesse's extraordinary impression of the "difficulties" of a virtuoso character lies in a rather simple thing - this composition, with the exception of two or three places, is not at all as difficult and "devilish" as it is felt by the audience. The seeming difficulties are nothing more than skillfully used violin-instrumental effects inherent in the very nature of the instrument. These effects are akin to similar effects in the writings of Henryk Wieniawski (1835–1880). But you had to know about them and successfully identify them on your instrument! The wizards of the violin - Venyavsky and Kreisler, and before them Paganini - were their pioneers, skillfully used amazing harmonics, even double and triple ones, strikingly sounding passages of double notes, which fell upon the listener with dizzying speed, unaware of their natural naturalness and well-known "convenience" for violin virtuoso.

In other words, the art of using violin effects creates in the listener a sense of the extraordinary difficulty of the material being performed, which is in fact very natural and even almost "comfortable" for the violinist's hands. In this regard, the works of the famous virtuoso Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst (1812–1865), who during his lifetime, according to the European public, were a competitor of Niccolo Paganini himself, stand at a completely different pole! His compositions, transcriptions and fantasies on operatic themes do not seem too difficult, lack brilliant effects, but in fact are hellishly difficult for performers. Some exception can only be his famous Etude "Rose" - variations on the theme of the once popular song "The Last Rose of Summer" for solo violin. Perhaps it was precisely this quality of Ernst's compositions that made most of them not only well forgotten, but, most likely, deservedly forgotten.

In this regard, I recall the Moscow concert of the Guide Kremer mentioned here in the winter of 1977 in the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, who performed Ernst's Variations on an original theme in his program. The variations lasted over 15 minutes and established their reputation as a "deservedly forgotten work", despite the soloist's excellent playing.

The Virtuoso Concerto is not only a literary composition, but also the most valuable testimony of a thoughtful and educated listener, endowed with excellent and strict taste. And yet, even such a demanding and captious listener, in the end, despite his desperate efforts to resist the art of Fritz Kreisler, was subdued by the performance of a brilliant musician.

* * *

Professor Carl Flesch, one of the world-famous violin teachers of the 20th century, vividly described in his memoirs the first visit to the Vienna Conservatory and the meeting with the patriarch of the Viennese violin school, Josef Helmesberger Sr. “He did not like two categories of children - Jews and short-sighted. I was both,” Flesh wrote. Helmesberger, however, received him and his mother with great courtesy. They are offered to start by going to the hall where, as the professor said, little Kreisler is rehearsing Sarasate's Faust fantasy with the orchestra. Kreisler's game made an indelible impression on the boy Flash. But if Professor Helmesberger did not like Jews, then for some reason this did not apply to young Kreisler.

Fritz Kreisler studied with the professor's son, Josef Helmesberger Jr., nicknamed Pepe. He was, among other things, a talented composer - the author of numerous operettas, he also worked as an accompanist of the Vienna Opera Orchestra, but he was a reveler, a reveler, and often paid tribute to young ballerinas. After a short romance with one of the ballerinas and a meeting with her father, "Pepe" began to limp. Nevertheless, it was in his class that Fritz Kreisler brilliantly graduated from the Vienna Conservatory at the age of 10 and soon left for Paris, accompanied by his mother. There, in 1887, at the age of 12, he graduated with First Prize and a Gold Medal from the Paris Conservatory under Professor Joseph Lambert Massard (at one time the teacher of Heinrich Wieniawski and Eugene Isai). Even then, Massard wrote a short letter to Kreisler's father, which said: "I was the teacher of Wieniawski and many others, but little Fritz is great among them."

After that, the young Kreisler, although not quite smoothly and not immediately, gradually became a virtuoso concert performer, by the age of eighteen (according to the description in Riemann's dictionary) "traveled many countries of the world up to Russia and Greece." By the beginning of the 20th century, Kreisler had become one of the most famous and popular violinists in the world (with the living Joachim, Izaya, Sarasat, Jan Kubelik, Ole Bull). One of the critics wrote already in the 20s:

"Heifetz is by far the most accomplished violinist, but Kreisler is the most beloved." Oddly enough, only three books have been written about him: journalist Louis Lochner (a long-term American correspondent in Berlin), who was close friends with the artist and met him very often, so his book "Fritz Kreisler" is actually an authorized biography. It came out in 1950 - in English, German and French (a copy of the book in German was sent to my professor D.M. Tsyganov in 1951. The book was delayed, it’s good that not the addressee himself, and was issued only in 1955- m year according to the agenda from the special depository). The second book about Kreisler was written in Russian by Israel Yampolsky, coincidentally my first violin teacher. This book is basically a summary of Lochner's book with additions by the author. The third book was published in 1998 and is written by Emmy Biancolli, the daughter of the famous American music critic Luis Biancolli. It touches on some aspects of the life of the great violinist-composer, which are bypassed in Lochner's book. Bypassed not by chance - Kreisler's wife Harriet strictly controlled the work of Lochner and was categorically against the publication of the chapter "Culture in Boots", which spoke of the beginning of the Nazi era in Germany. Harriet was a fan of the "new order" and wanted to eliminate this chapter. But here the author - an intelligent and gentle person - firmly said that in this case there would be no book at all. This was no longer Harriet Kreisler's plan.

This essay does not pretend to be a complete biography of the brilliant violinist, but includes some rather little known details, as well as an excerpt from Kreisler's interview, published for the first time in Russian, concerning the performing process - the connection of music with real life and its highest purpose as a form art.

* * *

Friedrich-Max Kreisler was born on February 2, 1875 in Vienna to the doctor Samuel (Solomon) Kreisler and his wife Anna (nee Rehes) in the 4th district of Vienna Wieden. Christopher Gluck lived in this area in the 18th century, and Johannes Brahms and Johann Strauss Jr. lived in the 19th century. The future Viennese mayor Karl Luger was born and lived in Wieden, who already in 1897 founded the "Christian Socialist Party" - the prototype of the future National Socialist Party. But while the children of Dr. Kreisler were growing up, no one had thought about such a neighborhood yet. In this area, in the current sense inhabited by the "middle class", the family of Dr. Kreisler hardly reached this level. First, there were five children in the family, two of whom died at an early age. Among the three remaining - Fritz, Hugo and their sister Ella - only the eldest Fritz was noted for longevity. Secondly, Dr. Kreisler was an impractical person, a humanist and altruist. Often he did not take anything from poor patients, leaving them his money for medicines.

Kreisler's grandfather and father arrived in Vienna from Krakow, which was then part of Austria-Hungary. The grandfather was a street vendor, but he eventually managed to educate his son, who became a doctor. A fairly common profession for a poor Viennese Jewish family. What we know about the life of the great musician's family comes from his own stories to Louis Lochner. It is amazing that they never the words "Jew", "Jewish" are not found. The family was not only assimilated, but also completely distanced from Jewry.

Dr. Kreisler loved music, and in an amateur quartet, weekly Saturdays who gathered at his house, played the part of the violin. These meetings often created tension in the very modest budget of the doctor's family, reminiscent in character of Russian zemstvo doctors of those years, well known to us from literature. Anna Kreisler, who suffered from myelitis, had to prepare at least a light snack to accompany the beer, which ended every weekly quartet meeting. Yet Dr. Kreisler was no ordinary amateur violinist and physician. His guests were Sigmund Freud, a chess partner; the star of European surgery Theodor Billroth, a close friend of Johannes Brahms and composer Karl Goldmark. Here are the memoirs of Fritz Kreisler himself, told by him to Louis Lochner for his book: “Freud made a deep impression on me, although basically the subject of discussions with my father was beyond my understanding ... He tried to treat my sick mother with hypnosis, but I never saw her after all normal walking ... Freud was not yet famous then, but his father was interested in his theory of psychoanalysis, especially to explain a number of cases when he sometimes had to replace a permanent doctor in the police department.

The family lived in one of the lanes of Wiedener Haupt-strasse in an apartment building, still occupying a 6-room apartment. In this area, such houses did not yet have hot water, and every week a special company brought a bath and hot water for the family. The doctor himself was content with public baths. This practice existed in those years not only in Austria, but also in Germany and France.

“I knew notes much earlier than I learned to read,” Kreisler told Lochner. “I was given a toy violin, but not so toy that it was impossible to extract sounds from it. And so, during a quartet meeting in our house, I began to play the Austrian national anthem with the quartet. Soon all the members of the ensemble fell silent, and I alone finished playing the Austrian Anthem in the correct key. Everyone said that I was a “little miracle”, and my father bought me the smallest, but already a real violin.” As you can see, the father began to give him the first lessons, but soon the first real teacher of "Frizzi" was a friend of his father - the concertmaster of the "Ring Theater" orchestra, Jacques Aubert. The little violinist made such incredibly rapid progress that the question arose of his admission to the Vienna Conservatory. The normal age for admission to the preparatory department was 10 years old. Kreisler was only seven years old (the official date of birth of the great artist - February 2, 1875, can still raise some doubts. Very often in those years, and even in the first decades of the 20th century, child prodigies were reduced by two or three years in order to slightly extend their careers precisely "little miracle" It is very possible that Kreisler was born in 1873, since on his first tour of America in 1888, some reviewers suggested that he was already 14-15 years old, and not his "official" 13

The entrance exams for the preparatory department of the Vienna Conservatory in 1882 were completely different from the entrance exams faced by our generations in the 1940s. True, in the late 50s and 60s, it was already required to play a program of a number of simple pieces on the instrument, as well as pass an exam in elementary music theory. And yet it did not compare with the highest demands of the Vienna Conservatory in 1882. Suffice it to say that already at the preparatory department it was necessary to study harmony and ... composition! Little Kreisler's teacher was none other than the famous symphonic composer Anton Bruckner! He taught his class not only the basics of harmony, but also the art of writing fugues - both on a given topic and on his own! Today it seems incredible, but such were the requirements at the Vienna Conservatory of those years.

bow type, which became widespread in the Baroque era (17th century). Then the first professional violinists appeared.

Giovanni Battista Viotti

The first Russian violinists also appeared. The composer and teacher of musical art Ivan Khandoshkin, who became the first virtuoso violinist in Russia, gained wide popularity.

Notable violinists of the 19th century

The 19th century is, first of all, the generation of Paganini. Nicolo Paganini, who lived in Italy in 1782-1849, was recognized as a genius of musical art during his lifetime. An artist with an extraordinary talent, who received unimaginable fees at that time and conquered all of Europe. His name was shrouded in a halo of secrets - no one believed that a person was able to perform the most difficult passages so masterfully, opened up more and more new possibilities of violin technique.

Nicolo Paganini

The 19th century is also characterized by the appearance of talented violinists in almost all European countries, which was explained by the incredible popularity of violin music in that era. So, in Belgium, a national violin school was founded by the efforts of the famous composer and violinist Henri Vietain (1820-1881). He is the author of seven concertos for violin and orchestra, many etudes, variations and fantasies. Another of his famous compatriots is Eugene Isan (1858-1931), he was not only a violinist and composer, but also a famous conductor. Izan composed variations on a theme by Paganini and left behind 6 magnificent violin concertos.

The countries of Eastern Europe have their own talented violinists. Henryk Wieniawski (1835-1880) was born in Poland and became famous all over Europe. And Russia was glorified by the violinist of Hungarian origin Leopold Auer (1845-1930), who founded the Russian violin school.

Notable violinists of the 20th and 21st centuries

The 20th century is the era of Russian and American violinists.

The greatest violinists of the 20th century are considered to be the Americans Jascha Heifetz (1901-1987) and Yehudi Menuhin (1916-1999). Both are of Jewish origin and with Russian roots.

In the Soviet Union, famous violinists were teachers of the Moscow Conservatory David Oistrakh (1908-1974) and Leonid Kogan (1924-1983).

Leonid Kogan

In the 21st century, the famous American violinist Itzhak Perlman continues to create. Among the new generation of violinists, the Russian Vadim Repin stands out.

The world of violin music knows many outstanding talents. All of them left a mark in history thanks to the virtuoso possession of the instrument and are incredibly charismatic personalities. Their performances caused and cause not only a pleasant thrill in the soul of the listener, but also endless admiration. Let's talk about the five incomparable masters who top the list of "great violinists". Their list is, of course, conditional. After all, each era is famous for its musical standards and preferences of listeners.

Niccolo Paganini

The details of his creative path are known to few, but perhaps everyone has heard the name of this musician. He lived and worked during the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte, and his fame, like his contemporary, overcame centuries. Niccolo Paganini was born in 1782 into a simple Italian family. From the age of five he began his musical education. First he mastered the mandolin, and a year later - the violin. Already at the age of 13, Paganini masterfully owned the instrument and gave his first solo concert. He dreamed of raising money to continue his education in Parma. However, the teachers refused him, since the young violinist was already incredibly talented and mastered his own playing technique, which he hid until the end of his life. He was not only a performer, but also a composer. At the age of 19, Niccolo won the title of first violinist of the Duchy of Lucca. The tireless work and self-improvement, natural artistry and genius of Paganini first conquered Europe, and then the whole world. Many great violinists of our time recognize him as the master of classical music.

David Oistrakh

The 20th century brought to the world a new musical genius in the person of David Oistrakh. He was born in 1908 in Odessa. Like his predecessor, he made his first steps in music at the age of five and made his stage debut a year later. In his native city he graduated from the conservatory. And soon he became not only a famous violinist, but also a violist, conductor, teacher. He went through a bright, rich, but difficult creative path. So, during the Second World War, he continued to tour and spoke to soldiers.

Oistrakh is recorded as a great violinist, of course, thanks to his undeniable talent, diligence and charm. He became the winner of many music competitions, winner of awards, laureate of the Stalin and Lenin Prizes.

Itzhak Perlman

It can be called modern, although Pearlman's life and musical journey began in the last century. He was born in 1945 in Tel Aviv. His love for the violin began at the age of four after listening to a classical music concert on the radio. Pearlman began his musical studies, and soon the young violinist began to give mini-concerts on the radio himself.

At an early age, Pearlman was ill with polio, so he was forced to move on crutches. The consequences of the illness affected the manner of playing the violinist. He performs all his works while sitting.

Today, Perlman's accomplishments include winning the prestigious American Leventritt Competition, five Grammy Awards, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and a well-deserved bronze in the World's Great Violinists list.

Julia Fisher

It is difficult to argue with the statement that Julia Fischer is one of the most talented and charming violinists in the world. She was born on June 15, 1983 in an intelligent family. Her father was a mathematician and her mother was a music teacher. But not at the insistence of her mother, but at her own request, Julia began to show a serious interest in music at the age of four, and at the age of 9 she entered the Munich Academy of Music. After winning the Eurovision Music Contest (Lisbon, 1996), her professional path began.

In addition to the violin, Julia Fischer plays the piano virtuoso. And since 2006 he has been a professor at the Academy of Music in Frankfurt. By the way, in the entire history of the educational institution, she is the first to receive such a high academic degree at such a young age (23 years).

Among the achievements of the German violinist are the Gramophone, ECHO-Classic, Diaposon d’Or and other awards. Every year she gives about a hundred concerts around the world, and her repertoire covers famous classical works that were previously composed and performed by great violinists. Among them: Bach, Vivaldi, Paganini, Tchaikovsky and others.

Vanessa May

Undoubtedly, the world's great violinists are virtuosos not only in performance, but also in musical understanding and improvisation. Therefore, the golden five cannot do without the famous Vanessa Mae. She became famous for her original technical processing of classical works, giving them a new life, a new sound.

From the age of three, Vanessa began to play the piano. A little later, she met the violin. The musical alma mater was the Royal College, where the violinist was the youngest student.

Vanessa Mae has been playing the electric violin since 1992. It was from that moment that her rapid creative take-off began, which the violinist still holds.

P.S.

According to lovers of instrumental music, these five masters occupy the top of the ranking of "Great Violinists of the World". The list, however, changes periodically, replenished with new names. And, of course, it pleases that the famous classics have a worthy replacement.

Check out the list of the ten best, most sought-after and talented violinists in the world. Of course, this rating is conditional. However, we can say with confidence that these people are Masters, and deservedly loved and revered by their grateful audience.

Itzhak Perlman (born August 31, 1945) is an Israeli-American violinist, conductor and teacher. One of the most famous violinists of the second half of the 20th century. Five-time Grammy Award winner. In 2015 he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Itzhak became interested in the violin at the age of four after hearing a classical music concert on the radio. Barely ten years old, he began to perform concerts on Israeli radio, and in 1958 appeared on the popular American television show Ed Sullivan. His first performance took place on March 5, 1963 at Carnegie Hall.

Hilary Hahn (born November 27, 1979) is an American violinist and two-time Grammy winner. She began playing the violin at the age of 4, and at the age of ten she gave her first solo concert. Throughout her career, Hilary has given more than 800 concerts, approximately 500 of which are accompanied by an orchestra. The performances of the violinist took place in more than 200 cities in 27 countries of the world. Collaborated with 150 conductors.
Hillary plays a violin created in 1864 by Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume, using a French bow made in the 19th century.

Eighth place in the list of the best violinists in the world goes to Janine Jansen (born January 7, 1978) is a Dutch violinist and violist. Winner of the Music Prize of the Netherlands Ministry of Culture, the ECHO-Classic Prize, the Edison Prize, etc.
She began learning to play the violin at the age of 6. She made her debut in 2001, performing Brahms' Violin Concerto with the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland.

Victoria Mullova (born November 27, 1959) is a Russian violinist. Best known for performing and recording a number of violin concertos, compositions by J. S. Bach, as well as for innovative interpretations of popular compositions by Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, the Beatles and others.
Graduated from the Moscow Conservatory. In 1980 she won the Sibelius International Violin Competition in Finland, in 1982 - the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. Victoria currently lives in London with her husband, cellist Matthew Barley, and their three children.

Sarah Chang (born December 10, 1980) is a well-known American violinist, winner of the Avery Fisher Award, the International Academy of Music Kiji Award and others.
She began learning to play the violin at the age of four. In 1991, when Chang was 10 years old, she recorded her first album called "Debut", after which she quickly gained international fame. Performs up to 150 concerts a year.

Julia Fischer (born 15 June 1983) is a German violinist and pianist; plays both instruments at a professional level. Winner of the ECHO-classic award, Diapason d'Or, the Gramophone award, etc. In October 2006 she became a professor at the Frankfurt am Main Music Academy (the youngest professor in the history of German higher education).
She began learning to play the violin at the age of four. At the age of 8 she gave her first concert accompanied by a symphony orchestra.
Every year Julia gives from 70 to 80 concerts with 50 programs. Fischer's repertoire includes more than 40 pieces with orchestral accompaniment and about 60 pieces of chamber music.

Anne-Sophie Mutter (born June 29, 1963) is a German violinist, one of the most sought-after and highly paid in the world. Winner of many prestigious prizes and awards, including the Grammy in the category "Best Chamber Music Performance" (2000), the Leonie Sonning Award (2001), the Order of Literature and Art (2005). She also became the first woman in history to be awarded the Ernst Siemens Prize (2008).
From the age of five, Anne-Sophie began playing the piano, but soon changed the instrument and began to learn to play the violin. After winning several competitions for young violinists, when Mutter was 13 years old, Herbert von Karajan invited her to perform with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, with which she made her debut in 1976 at the Lucerne Festival. In 1985, at the age of 22, the violinist became a member of the Royal Academy of Music.

Midori Goto (born October 25, 1971) is a Japanese and American violinist. Winner of many awards. Since 2007, he has been a UN Goodwill Ambassador.
She picked up the violin for the first time at the age of two. She made her public debut at the age of seven, performing one of Paganini's 24 caprices in her hometown of Osaka. When Midori was eleven, she performed with the New York Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta in Manhattan. In 1992, she founded Midori and Friends, a non-profit organization for the musical education of children in New York City.
Her brother Ryu is also a violinist.

David Oistrakh (September 30 (new style) 1908 - October 24, 1974) - a famous Soviet conductor, teacher, violinist and violist, professor at the Moscow State Conservatory. Winner of many awards and prizes. Laureate of the Stalin (1943) and Lenin Prize (1960). People's Artist of the USSR (1953).
From the age of five he began to study violin and viola with Pyotr Stolyarsky, his first and only teacher. He made his debut in Odessa at the age of 6. Even as a student, Oistrakh performed on stage as part of the Odessa Philharmonic Orchestra as a soloist and conductor.
Died of a heart attack in Amsterdam.

Fritz Kreisler (February 2, 1875 – January 29, 1962) was an Austrian composer and violinist. Like many great violinists, his performance had a distinctive sound that was immediately recognizable.
Kreisler was educated at the Vienna Conservatory, where his teachers were Anton Bruckner and Josef Helmesberger (he entered there at the age of seven, although it was necessary to have at least fourteen to enter: an exception was made for Kreisler). In 1887 he received the first prize at the final exam, after which he decided to start an independent creative career. The debut of the musician in the United States took place on November 10, 1888.
Just before his death, the violinist was in a car accident, as a result of which he was blind and deaf.